This archive report was first published on 24 July 2019.
On July 24, 2019, Argentina captain Lionel Messi was banned for one game and fined $1,500 after being sent off against Chile in the Copa America third-place playoff.
Messi's red card was the result of a clash with Gary Medel, and he later alleged that the tournament had been fixed in favor of the hosts Brazil, who beat Argentina in a controversial semi-final.
Argentina's captain called the South American Football Confederation (CONMEBOL) 'corrupt' and did not attend the ceremony to pick up his medal.
CONMEBOL described Messi's comments as 'unacceptable' but chose not to impose a tougher sanction on the five-times world player of the year.
The ban is expected to be served in Argentina's first qualifier for the 2022 World Cup.
Additionally, CONMEBOL removed the head of the Argentine Football Association, Claudio Tapia, as their official representative at FIFA, following his sharp criticism of the organization during and after the Copa America.
